Sectional ironing board with cover



1386- 1952 c. MENDELSON SECTIONAL IRONING BOARD WITH COVER 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed May 29, 1947 INVENTOR. C HARL ES Mf/VDEL so/vATTORNEY 1386- 1952 c. MENDELSON SECTIONAL IRONING BOARD WITH COVER 2SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed May 29, 1947 uvlilllliiil. ll illllr l1! llll'ltilllHVVENTUR. "HARLLSMENOELSON ATTOENEK Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE SECTIONAL IRONING BOARD WITH COVER Charles Mendelson, NewYork, N. Y. Application May 29, 1947, Serial No. 751,373

1 Claim.

The invention relates to ironing boards or tables, and more particularlyto an article of this nature capable of being folded.

It has for an object to afford a standard-size ironing board comprisinga plurality of sections, for example three, secured together in foldablerelationship and adapted to be supported by telescopic members in amanner such that these members may be folded under the intermediate andone of the end sections to provide, when the sections are thus foldedone over the other, a compact, relatively fiat package which mayconveniently be stored when not in use and may be readily transported,for example in a suitcase or in the storage compartment of anautomobile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of foldableironin board which may readily be manufactured as by blanking out thesections.

Still another object of the invention is to roll over the outer edges ofthe sections to afford a reinforcing beading providing adjacentlydisposed and aligned guideways, which are associated with slidable meansoperating in said guideways for uniting the sections when the ironingboard is to be put in service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a smooth top surfaceover which is located and removably retained a suitable padding andironing cover which may remain thereon when the board is in its foldedcondition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an ironing boardof the aforesaid nature which may also be readily converted into tableform.

In carrying out the invention, a plurality of top sections are hingedlysecured to one another, an end one thereof and the immediately adjacentone being supported by respective telescopic support members designed tobefolded under the said two sections and the various sections thenfolded over one another. Provision is made, as by manually operableslide elements, to firmly unite the sections when the table is erected,and to permit of dropping downwardly the end section opposite thesupported end section when the table form only is desired.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood whendescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a board in erected state suitable forironing thereon.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view of the means for uniting the varioustop sections in a common plane, and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionthereof, taken on the line 4 i, Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, through theboard in inverted position, with supporting members shown telescoped.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the supporting members foldedunder preparatory to folding of the board as a whole.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of the folded board.

Referring to the drawings, l8, II, and I2 indicate a plurality oftapering top sections of the ironing board, the section II beingintermediate the two end sections l0 and I2 and hingedly secured theretoas at l3 and M, respectively. It is preferred to construct thesesections of relatively light material, for example, aluminum or asuitable plastic; and, in accordance with the invention, the edges .ofthese sections are turned over or headed to not only serve to reinforcethe sections and provide a smooth surface for drawing the cover cloththereover, as hereinafter set forth, but to provide aligned guidewaysalong the opposite longitudinal side edges. Thus, section I0 is providedwith the pair of oppositely disposed guideway I B and It" and thesection I2 with corresponding guideways l2 and I2". These guideways inturn are aligned with similar guideways I l and H" of the intermediatesection II. The ends of the respective guideways I I and l I when theboard is erected for use, are designed to be juxtaposed to thecorresponding open ends of the guideways l0, l2 and l0", l2",respectively.

There is arranged, furthermore, to slide in the guides of theintermediate section I l two pairs of locking rods l5 and [6,respectively, (Figs. 3 and 4) the elements of each pair being oppositelydirected and designed for entry into the respective guideways IE), l2and l0", [2" to unite firmly the intermediate section with the endsections. Two pairs of handle members I5 and I6 projecting from the rodsthrough limiting slots l1 and I8 of guides II and II", respectively, areprovided for manually sliding said rods into the guideways It, Ill" andl2, l2", as indicated.

When it is desired to fold the ironing board, it will be understood thatthese rods are withdrawn from the end sections by sliding the same in areverse direction, whereupon said end sections may be folded under theintermediate section. Or, if it is not desired to make use of the endsection l2, the unit may be converted into a table form by withdrawingthe corresponding locking rods from the guideways I2, I22", allow- 3 ingthe section E2 to swing on hinge It to the position indicated in dottedlines, Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The ironing board as a whole is to be supported by two supporting frames29 and 2| which are preferably of a tubular nature and telescopic, theinner end sections 22 and 23 thereof being hinged respectively to theend cover section Ii) and the intermediate section H and, preferably,provided with a cross bar 22' and 23, respectively. From these barsmovably extend articulated brace members 24 and 24, respectively, whichare hingedly secured at the other end to the undersurface respectivelyof section it) and section II. These carry each a pivoted strut 25 and25' which struts at their respective free ends are designed to beengaged in sockets 2t and 25, provided on the underface of the sectionsit and H, respectively, when erecting the ironing board. These bracemembers will thus serve to further steady said respective sections itand i I and a support for the end section 12 may be provided in thenatureof a slide bar 39 with downturned operating fingerpiece 3! at oneend, the said bar being mounted under a strap 32 secured to theunderface of member i2, with the bar 33 designed to be manually movedlongitudinally over the section II to locate its other end under asimilar strap 33 thereof secured to the underface of the section.

To place the ironing board in folded condition, it is necessary first totelescope the support members 28 and 2!, Fig. 5, detach the struts 25and 25', and buckle the braces 24 and 2d, whereupon the support members29 and 2! are folded inwardly over the respective underfaces of sectionsit and H, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The sections H3 and i2may then be folded at the respective hinges l3 and [4 over theintermediate section H, section l2 being folded first and then sectioniii, the whole appearing as in Fig. 7.

In thus folding the board sections, it will not be necessary first toremove the padding or cover element 35 since provision has. been made toaccommodate the variation in distance due to the folding action. Thecover to this end is fitted over the beaded edges overlapping the sameand following, generally, the taper of the sections from the section i 3to the section [2, as indicated, and shirred at its wider and locatedover section It. At the end of the narrower section E2, however, thecover overlaps the undersurface to an appreciable extent, for example,as the portion 36 indicated; and this end is attached to the end or endsof one or more resilient members 37 whose other ends are then secured tothe underside of section 2. The said cover element 35 being firmly heldat the broader far end of section id, springs 37 will serve to maintainat all times the cover member taut and thus provide a smooth unwrinklcdworking top; and, as hereinbefore noted, when the sections are to befolded, it will not be necessary to detach or remove the cover to allowof effecting the folding. In case of renewal of a cover cloth or thelike, it will be necessary merely to detach the portion 36 from thecorresponding ends of springs 37, and slide the cover from the broaderend of section I9.

I claim:

A unitary ioldable ironing board, comprising at least three hingedlyconnected top sections, the end sections being foldable inwardly overthe intermediate one, a pair of telescopic support members hingedlyattached, one to the underside of one oi the end sections substantiallyat the outer end thereof and the other to the intermediate sectionsubstantially at the end thereof adjacent the other of the end sections,means slidably mounted on the intermediate section and manually movablein opposite directions respectively over the adjacent end sections tomaintain all of the sections-in a common plane, and an ironing clothremovably fitted entirely over the sec tions with one end of the clothextending appreciaoly over the underside of the corresponding endsection, and resilient means attached to said section and said one endof the cloth to maintain the ironing cloth taut over the'entireboardwhen the sections are extended for use and to yield to accommodate thecloth to the folding operation when the board sections are folded overone another.

CHARLES MENDELSON.

REFERENCES CITED.

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 272,959 Freid Feb. 27, 1883643,511 Lloyd Feb. 13, 1900 1,042,826 Schongold Oct. 29, 1912 1,197,525Meibert Sept. 5, 1916 1551,2 11 Dick Aug. 25, 1925 1,885,737 Lewis Nov.1, 1932 2,225,710 Daniel Dec. 31, 1940 2,333,784 Harris Nov. 9, 19432,531,778 Merner Nov. 28, 1950

